When we set up Pili Pala we were keen to ensure that our environmental impact as clothing manufacturers was kept to a minimum.  We’ve therefore been very careful to select organic cotton and recycled fabrics for our clothing ranges – all of which are produced in the UK.  We believe that fashionable clothes shouldn’t be produced in sweatshops or compromise the health of the people or the places involved in producing them.  If you’d like to learn a little more about the benefits of organic cotton take a look at this page.

If, like us, you fancy marking the fortnight with a bit of a celebration, the Soil Association has a few handy ideas about how you can turn a deeper shade of green!  We’re going to town and baking a cake made from organic ingredients (not that we need an excuse to bake mind you!). 

Now, pass me another organic chocolate to go with the organic wine!

We’ve been lucky this summer and have been sent a few of our customers’ favourite holiday photos. From far flung places to the back garden, they’re full of fun!  Receiving photos from our Pili Pals and customers really cheers up our days so please keep up the good work and send over your pics (email us at news@pilipalachildrenswear.com)!

If you’re stuck for inspiration, there are numerous blogs online which feature fantastic photographs.  One such blog is Emma Bradshaw’s.  Emma is a mother, photographer and regular blogger. Sneak a peek at her blog here – we guarantee you’ll love it. 

Another blog which highlights the best photos from other blogs is this is not my work.  We’ve lost hours gazing at her photos and those from other blogs and have been truly inspired to get snap happy.

We’ll shortly be holding our next photo shoot for our Spring/Summer 2011 collection - something we’re particularly excited about!  With a bit of luck, the sun will shine and our little ones will be bouncing around in the samples from our next collection.  Keep your eyes peeled for the photos on our blog in September!  

All together now, say “CHEESE”!

We have a few favourite camp sites around the country and frequently check out the pages of Cool Camping - Kids for destination ideas.  One of our favourite camp sites is Naturesbase in Cilcennin, West Wales.  Imagine a field with thigh high grass and wild flowers, then imagine a great big patch of cut grass and a path cut out just for you and your tent – that’s Naturesbase!  A warm welcome awaits and they even provide you with a fire pit to encourage you to build your own camp-fire for the all important marshmallow toasting session!  Check out www.naturesbaseholidays.co.uk and tell them we say hello – we’ll be back soon!

We also love drooling over the pages of the Happy Campers book which if full of fantastic ideas about how your camping holiday can be turned into a brilliant adventure.  From tips on what to take to recipes and games, it’ll have you searching for your torch and packing your wellies before you reach the second chapter.  Take a look here for their tips on how to cope with little ones and camping!

Pili Pala has some seriously cool wardrobe ideas for your camping trip too – our velour harem style trousers are great with wellies as you don’t have to tuck anything in!  For sunnier days, our stripy shorts are firm favourites – wellies or barefoot!

Now, where did we put that air bed....?

We’re picky about our bananas.  We like them on the greener side of yellow.  When the black spots appear they tend to be the last thing left in the fruit bowl.

However, we’ve now found a solution which not only solves our banana problem (and doesn’t involve throwing them out!) and is a great activity for all involved.  So, grab your bananas and get to the kitchen to make our fantastic banana pili pala cakes!

Banana Butterfly Cakes – makes around 24

Ingredients

4 large over-ripe bananas, mashed

285g/10 oz wholemeal (or plain) flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

110g/4oz butter at room temperature

225g/8oz golden caster sugar

2 organic free range eggs

85 ml/3fl oz of buttermilk (or normal milk mixed with 1 ½ tsp lemon juice)

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g/3 ½oz dark chocolate broken up into small chips

For the chocolate butter icing

30 ml/2 tbsp cocoa powder

15 ml/1 tbsp boiling water

100 g/4 oz butter or margarine, softened

225 g/8 oz icing sugar, sifted

15 ml/1 tbsp milk

You will also need 24 paper cases and two, 12 hole tartlet trays (or use the same one twice). 

 Method

1. Aprons on?  Hands clean? Everybody happy?  Let's go!
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
3. In a clean bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, mashed bananas, chocolate chips, buttermilk and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well. 
5. Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and fold in.
6. Place the paper cases in the 12 hole tartlet tray(s). Spoon out the mixture into the 24 paper cases.
7. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until well-risen and golden-brown.
8. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
9. Whilst the cakes are in the oven, or cooling, mix the cocoa to a paste with the boiling water, then leave to cool. Beat the butter or margarine until soft. Gradually beat in the icing sugar, milk and cocoa mixture until well blended.
10. To make the pili pala (butterfly) part of the cake, take a sharp knife and cut off the tops of the cakes. Spread a thin layer of the chocolate icing over each cake.  Cut the ‘top’ part of the cake in half and place on top of the cake to make a butterfly as shown in the photo.
11. Put your feet up and enjoy a cake with a cup of tea, glass of milk or whatever takes your fancy!

We’d love to see your cakes – send in any photos to us at news@pilipalachildrenswear.com

Music, stripy marquees, ice cream, beer tents, bunting, strawberries and cream, flip-flops and wellies - hooray for festival season! Have you been grooving at Glastonbury or are you planning on entering your prize onions at the local village fête? Whatever you fancy, festivals are a fantastic part of the summer. So pack up a picnic, grab your tent, invite your friends and go and find yourself a festival!

Fancy a festival of culture? Then head off to the National Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale this week. From poetry recitals to disco dancing, there’s plenty to entertain all members of the family.

Heading north? Look out for the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival! Want to bop till you drop? Brecon Jazz is a fab festival which brings music and dance to the streets of Brecon.

Fancy yourself as a bit of a foodie? There are numerous food festivals across the UK – check in with your local tourist information centre for local ones or for food festivals in Wales visit www.walesthetruetaste.com

Planning next year’s holiday already? If you love big music festivals but don’t feel that they cater for young children you obviously haven’t been to Camp Bestival! Held at the end of July at Lulworth Castle it’s like Glastonbury with pushchairs and the line-up this year included big name bands from across the decades in addition to the ever popular Mr Tumble!

One of the festival essentials for many Pili Pals is the green and brown jumpsuit. Roomy enough for it to be worn over day clothes, it makes sure that your little ones are kept warm when the sun goes down.

Six weeks holiday can seem like an eternity when you’re faced with entertaining small children. We hope you’ll find our top tips useful for keeping little ones busy and prevent the inevitable cry of ‘I’m bored’ from them and ‘help’ from you!

1. Plan a beach treasure hunt. If you’re on the beach and fancy five minutes to yourself create a treasure hunt for your kids. Write a list of items that can be found on a beach e.g. shells, seaweed, bird feathers, driftwood... and send your kids searching. If you’re in need of some real quiet time, add a few items that will be hard to find! Keep an eye on them whilst they comb the beach for goodies and reward them when they return with their bounty.

2. Raining outside? Close the curtains. Turn off the lights. Turn up the music. Dance! It’ll make you and your kids feel great and with the curtains closed your neighbours won’t be any the wiser!

3. Camp out in the back garden. Pack up a picnic and pitch up your tent in the back garden. You don’t need to go far to have fun!

4. Bake! Everyone loves cake. Adult t-shirts make great ‘cover all’ aprons on small kids. Cover them up and get out the baking ingredients. Cupcakes are easy to make, quick to cook and you can spend ages decorating them with icing, raisins, chocolate buttons and even edible glitter.

5.  Pili Pala's personal favorite! Snail races. Cut out a large circle of cardboard and either paint or mark concentric circles on it. Send the kids searching around the garden for snails and once everyone has a snail each place them in the centre of the cardboard and watch to see which snail makes it to the outside of the circle. Make sure you play this outside or you’ll be searching high and low for the snails!

6. Get together with other mums and hire the village hall. Play party games such as musical chairs, sleeping lions, stick in the mud... A cheap way of having a party with no need for presents. Your kids will have a great time and you’ll have a chance to catch up with other mums!

7. Have a weekly theme! You can devise your own little projects to occupy little minds. Go for bugs one week and go bug hunting; read the Hungry Caterpillar; hire ‘Bug’s Life’ and create model bugs using egg cartons and pipe cleaners! Other themes could include monsters, fairies, countries, super heroes or magic – try thinking of themes which have books or films associated so that you have some quiet time whilst they read or watch a film!

8. Build a castle! Visit a castle for some inspiration or ‘Google’ some images of castles. Make a plan and then raid the supermarket for cardboard. Construct a castle using the cardboard and some masking tape, painting it and cutting out windows. The bigger the better!

9. Make spoon people. Buy wooden spoons from supermarkets’ value range and dress them up using felt, left over fabric and wool. Paint or draw faces on and host your own spoon ‘puppet show’!

10. Be a local tourist. Visit your local Tourist Information Centre and rediscover what’s great about your area. Take your camera, write a postcard to the grandparents and treat your day out as if you’re visiting the area for the first time – even better if you can find the time and money for an ice cream!

Enjoy! Let us know how you get on and send in some photos – we love hearing from you.

See you there!

Put all the ingredients in a heavy base saucepan and place on the hob.  On a low heat, mix all of the ingredients together, and continue to stir until the dough thickens and resembles mashed potatoes. 

When the dough pulls away from the sides of the saucepan and forms one big lump, remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough so that you can handle it.  If your playdough is still sticky, put it back on the heat until it forms one big lump.

Once cool, divide the playdough into smaller lumps and place on a surface covered with cling film or baking parchment.  Make a small well in each lump and add the food colouring of your choice. Knead vigorously to mix the colour into the dough.

Your playdough is now ready for you to play with. Enjoy!

To store, keep in an airtight container.  If the dough starts to dry out slightly, just add a little water and knead through.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

If you are planning beach activity this summer with your kids, the Pili Pala organic jumpsuit is the must have beach companion. Completely play proof for boys (have you ever noticed that beach cover ups for boys are mainly dresses? Why is that?) and a great pink alternative for girls, the Pili Pala jumpsuit is a safe bet this summer! Get it before there are gone folks

stockists will still be getting their deliveries on time, however, it does mean that Pili Pala will have to wait a bit longer before stocking it on our own website. It won't be a long wait. New fabric will be arriving before Easter and if I talk nicely to the manufactures I am sure they will do a run for me beginning of April. That my friends is the beauty of having your manufactures only two hours away from where you live! Not only does it allow greater control in terms of quality but it cuts out the long delivery periods.

 Be one of the first to try our Taster Pack!  For new retailers we've compiled a Taster Pack containing one of each garment in our in store collection for only £130 (re-sale value £285). To open a wholesale account contact our founder, Berith Lochery on 07813 159687 or info@pilipalachildrenswear.com.  Wholesale prices £6.50 - £18 Sizes 12 mths - 5 yrs.  

Come visit us at Bubble London. Jan 31st-Feb 1st. Stand VB8. We'll be on the Village Green. Discount of up to 15% will be given to all stockists who place an order on the day.

Can't make Bubble? Don't worry. Drop us a line regarding new line sheets and samples!

As Pili Pala enters 2010, I thought it might be useful to round up what has been proving popular on the childrens clothes front. Following my recent trip to Brighton's Christmas Market, I am happy to announce that Pili Pala did really well. Having never done it before, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, I was really pleased with the results. The girls pinafore dress sold really well along with the matching leggings and jersey tops, in particular the organic logo top. On the Boys front, the chocolate brown and lime green striped trousers proved popular along with the slash neck jumper and matching trousers in chocolate brown.

I've also had quite a few enquiries regarding baby clothes. I'm therefore so excited to share with that you that for 2010, Pili Pala Childrenswear will be launching our very own organic cotton babygroes. HOORAY!

If I'm honest, I had a hard time relating to my original price points. I know that there is a very successful childrenswear market out there who's price points are even higher than my original prices. This at  the time reassured me, but I didn't understand it. Organic, ethical, and recycled clothing does cost more to produce but I try as I might, I still couldn't relate to the consumer who would easily spend £24 pounds on a jersey top for their child . Because I couldn't understand it, it really started knock my confidence and if you don't have confidence in what you are selling...well..you might as well close shop... I am therefore SO happy to announce a leaner, trimmer, healthier Pili Pala. With absolute confidence, I am happy to say that with Pili Pala Childrenswear, not only are you getting quality and style but also at a price a mother can understand. Mozel Tov!

These days my four year old is really into Ben 10. If you are not familiar with Ben 10, here is a quick breakdown: A cartoon based on the character of Ben who has this extraordinary ability to turn into 10 different "good" aliens with the help of a special watch; model loosely based on early Timex watches. Needless to say Ben and his 10 aliens fight for the power of good on regular basis, all very exhausting to watch. However none of this is as exhausting as hearing myself saying on average at least 50 times a day...no more aliens right now son...Enough of Ben 10 please...Ben's aliens are kind... remember?...they don't hit, spit, punch etc...yes..I know you are only playing, but now is not the time etc...You see, my son is really into role playing. He is what you would call a method actor. Method actors get so into the character they are playing and sometimes in the process loose sight of themselves. 

Today is Saturday and as you can imagine, it is raining and my son is role playing none other than Ben 10. Instead of my usual sigh of annoyance I decided to join him. What followed can only be described as an afternoon of WWF wrestling. "Wildmutt takes on "Upchuck" , "Diamond head" defeats  "XLR8", "Stinkfly" meets "Four Arms"...My son's energy knows no bounds. By the fourth round I wanted to quit but the look of happiness on my son's face spurred me on.

Amy McCready, founder of the Positive Parenting Solutions states that "This issue is so right now. As parents understand that it is not socially acceptable to spank, they are at loss for what they can do. They resort to reminding, nagging,timeout, counting 1-2-3 and quickly realize  that those strategies don't work to change behaviour. In the absenceof tools that really work, they feel frustrated and angry and raise their voice. They feel guilty afterward, and the whole cycle begins again".

Experts say that parental yelling may be related to the releasing of stress for many over worked, overachieving, multitasking parents of today. Experts also warn that if a parent is simply loud, the effect is minimal on a child, but when the tone you are using implies anger, insult or sarcasm, it can be perceived as a sign of rejection.

I can certainly relate to this. As a multitasking mother of two young children, the stress can be overwhelming and I worry about being the loudest family on the block.

Little P is about celebrating all things wonderful and let's face it the sometimes down right weird things that the children in our lives do!

Pili Pala Childrenswear is seeking ideas, inspiration and a good laugh about what it means to be a parent in this day and age.